Imagine a huge room filled with trampolines. Trampolines that go on the wall! It was the best place ever! We went to Xtreme Hang Time in Albuquerque.

There was an area for trampoline dodgeball area where Shane and I played with two little red-head boys (one of which hit me hard in the boob and laughed!) There was also an area where you could jump, tumble and flip into foam pits. If you have ever been to a gymnastic gym the have similar pits you can try new skills into – so fun but SO SO SO hard to get out of! Shane and I had a blast! It was a great work out and we were sore the next day but we had so much fun! We got some gift certificates for my little cousins to try it out. We have been back a couple of times since!!

After that fun I took Shane to an arcade called Nickel city and we played our favorite arcade game Area 51! We LOVE that game and it’s old so hard to find. At Nickel city you pay $2 to get in and some of the games are free – so when we found out Area 51 was a free game we went crazy! So much fun! A great way to end the 12 dates of Christmas!

The 12 dates of Christmas were a lot of fun and really made Shane and I get creative and considerate during a time of year that can easily stress. It also gave us time to appreciate each other and not worry about all the commercial factors Christmas brings with it. If we do this again next year the only thing I would do different is start a little earlier. But so fun, romantic and beautiful!!

On our 10th (and maybe my favorite) date of Christmas it was Shane’s stay at home date.

Shane told me to bundle up because we were going to be outside. I naturally assumed we were going somewhere (I didn’t know it was the stay at home date) so when he went to put the dogs out I followed him. Well I was not supposed to do that because he had this whole set up outside with Christmas music, a fire, food and s’mores! He even put up extra Christmas lights on the tree and the fence!

I ruined his surprise! But it was still really special!

We put chicken and vegetables on pitchfork looking things and cooked them in the fire. Shane made the best tzatziki sauce and we had chicken and veggie pitas! Sooo good! Then we made s’mores with fun candy.

This was so romantic and beautiful! This was my favorite date of all! And it was extra special because Bruce and Rhonda got to go on this date with us!

On the 8th date of Christmas I took Shane on our “Something Old” date. We got tickets from our good friend Joann (she has season tickets and let us have them for this game) to the Lobo Aggie men’s basketball game.

This qualifies as something old because Shane and I loved going to NMSU basketball games in Las Cruces! And since they only come to Albuquerque once a year to play the Lobos I thought it would be fun to wear NMSU/Aggie t-shirts in a sea of Lobos.

NMSU and UNM have a big rivalry being the only division one schools in New Mexico. And although the Aggies lost (UNM is really good – ranked 16th in the nation!) we had a lot of fun!

I have been doing some shopping and trying to get done with gifts early this year! But I started thinking about the best presents I have got throughout my years and I guess I am lucky because I have a lot!

The best present I have ever been given was a jewelry box in 2007 to go with the engagement ring I got on Christmas Eve! Best present ever!

And the best present I got as a kid was Paradise Estates. I waited years for that house! And I LOVED it – still have it!

One of the most memorable gift I ever got was a trip to Disneyland. My parents surprised my brother and me! How awesome right!! Every Christmas we would make the journey from Jemez to Albuquerque to go to my grandparents’ house.

But one year we went to the train station (which no longer exists) instead. There we were told we were going to take a train to Disneyland! We were so excited!!! And we got on the train and took off and an hour later our train stopped. And we waited…. And waited…. And waited. Turns out the trains in front of us derailed and we couldn’t go any further.

We were just a little outside Albuquerque – they put us on greyhound busses and shipped us off to Disneyland. LONGEST TRIP EVER! But so much fun once we got there. Oh and my brother and I were younger and probably annoying.

The Husband’s best Christmas gifts include Bruce – we go him in 2005 from a family in El Paso. They didn’t speak English and we didn’t speak Spanish. We just put some money on the table and they gave us the cutest puppy in the world!

Then Shane said his iPod was the second best gift and his Bose was after that. He obviously loves music!

What are some of your favorite or most memorable Christmas presents?

Nick and me – Christmas in 198something

Yeah I am holding a My Little Pony to later house in my new Paradise Estates!

This is where the My Little Pony’s lived! Paradise Estates! I would ask for this every Christmas and Birthday! I finally got it for Christmas one year. My mom let me play with it for a year then took it away and said I could have it back later – she recycled my toys so when I did get it back it was like a new toy! Evil or genius??

On the 2Nd date of Christmas, Shane took me to the Open Space Visitor Center. I had always heard about this place but never knew where it was. And let me just say, this place is beautiful and awesome!

We went to see a quilt display and see the birds. The quilts were unbelievable. Some of them looked like painting!

Since birds fly south for the winter, and since New Mexico is South – we saw some beautiful birds in the the Bosque. The Open Space Visitor Center has some great views of the Bosque where the birds hang out and gossip. Well I like to think they are talking about their travels and the other birds and all that….

We saw Canadian Geese and Sandhill Cranes they were so beautiful and loud! It was really funny watching the cranes land – they are so graceful until they try and land. There were hundres of birds in the Bosque.

If you live in Albuquerque and have not been to the Open Space Visitor Center you must go!

We had brunch at the Indigo Crow Cafe in Corrales since this was our morning date. It’s such a cute restaurant and the food was amazing!

After we ate we went an art show in Corrales. The Fifth Annual Holiday Art Festival was cute. There was one artist who had their cat just hanging out on a chair in their area. Our cats would never have allowed that. This cool cat was just napping and people watching!

The 2nd date of Christmas was fun and I am realizing that by doing these dates we are really getting to be tourists of our own city and experience places and activities we normally wouldn’t.

Canadian Geese and Sandhill Cranes

Quilt – Changing Seasons by Marianne R. Williamson

Quilt – Friends by Jennifer Day

This was a tree stump that was carved into art at the Open Space Visitor Center

This Christmas I made up a game and the Husband has graciously said he would play! I saw another blog do something similar to the 12 Dates of Christmas but being the competitive creative person I am I decided we needed to step it up a notch.

So this is how it works –

Start whenever you want (12 dates in December can be a lot so feel free to start in November)

You plan six dates of the below categories and so does your partner so basically you should go on the same date categories twice. However, I bet the dates will be very different!

Figure out who goes first and whoever wins the (“coin toss” or “rock paper scissors, lizard, Spock” or “pick a number between 1 and 10”) or however you figure it out picks a date from the date category below.

Then the second person picks any date category of their choice. And so on and so forth until you have each taken your partner on six dates.

Hopefully ending near Christmas!

12 Dates of Christmas Categories

Dinner and a Movie for Two!

This can be a rented movie or a movie in a theater. Dinner can be made at home, at a restaurant or ordered in.

Get out of the house

This is exactly what it says – get out of the house. It can be anywhere and you can do anything as long as it’s not in the house.

Ideas for this – go on a drive, go on a walk with a picnic, go play mini golf, go to a concert or event, take a walk in Old Town or in Santa Fe

Stay at Home Date

This is the opposite of Get out of the House! Stay in and enjoy each other!

Ideas for this – cook dinner together or cook for the other person. Light a fire and cuddle, watch your favorite movie or TV show, eat dinner/dessert, watch a movie in bed, take a bath, give a massage, there are so many ideas for this!!

Something New

This can be any kind of activity as long as it’s something you as a couple have never done.

Ideas for this – eat at a new restaurant, cook a meal you have never made before, go to a new city and spend the day there as tourists, do an activity we have never done like go to the shooting range or ice skating

Something Old

This is the opposite of Something New –

To make this better it would be fun to do something that means a lot to both of you. Like visit the first place you kissed or eat where you had your first date or make your partners favorite meal and watch your favorite movie or TV Show

Morning/Breakfast Date

Any kind of date as long as it takes place in the AM

Ideas for this – breakfast in bed, brunch at your favorite restaurant, find a great place to watch the sunrise

Bonus****

This can take the place of two of the above dates because it will probably be expensive but here it is –

The Extended Date

A weekend away – anything qualifies for an extended date as long as it’s trip somewhere where you stay over night

Stay at a bed in breakfast, go to close city and stay there, if you want, hop on a plane and go on a mini vacation

Like I said this is a bonus option. It’s the Holidays and things can get expensive so this is only if you find it within your budget or get a great deal